The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff. The Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) program has been reviewed by the CEBC in the area of: Trauma Treatment (Child & Adolescent), but lacks the necessary research evidence to be given a Scientific Rating.

• Types of Maltreatment: Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Physical Neglect, Exposure to Domestic Violence
• Target Population: Traumatized adolescents, including those who are still living with or experiencing ongoing chaos and extreme stress.

SPARCS is a present-focused group intervention for adolescents who have experienced chronic trauma and have developed problems functioning in the following areas: affect regulation and impulsivity; dissociation; self-perception; relations with others; somatization (conversion of anxiety to physical symptoms); and systems of meaning (having a purpose and a hopeful future). SPARCS is primarily cognitive-behavioral based and teaches skills to both foster resilience and enhance group members' current strengths. Overall goals of the program are to address the three Cs: enhance the adolescent's ability to Cope more effectively in the moment, Cultivate consciousness, and Create connections and meaning.

Assessment of a Broad Range of Symptoms Related to Trauma

Mindfulness exercises in each session:

• Mindfulness exercises facilitate practicing concentration and awareness, as well as, observation. The exercises also facilitate practice of describing and fully participating in the moment without being judgmental.
• Mindfulness exercises can facilitate recognition of the link between emotions and physiology that often becomes disconnected with somatic complaints.
• Mindfulness exercises require that one focus and re-focus one's attention to the present. Adolescents are provided opportunities to practice this in a number of engaging ways.

The LET'M GO Steps and MAKE a LINK:

• Group leaders teach the LET'M GO steps, adapted from the FREEDOM steps of the TARGET program (Ford, Mahoney & Russo, 2004), which include a sequence of skills for actively coping with current distress triggered by traumatic experiences.
• Group leaders also teach MAKE a LINK which provides concrete steps for effective communication and assertiveness. Adapted from the Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills in "Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents" (Miller, Rathus & Linehan, in press), the MAKE a LINK role-plays were designed to help participants foster healthier relationships and to communicate more effectively.
• Group leaders incorporate the LET'M GO Steps and MAKE a LINK approaches based on the ongoing needs of the group.

Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) was designed with a child component that addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms:

• Impairment in functioning and co-morbidity that stem from the trauma and are not captured by a diagnosis of PTSD alone. The areas of functioning addressed include problems with 1) regulating emotions and impulsive behavior, 2) successfully negotiating and developing trusting relationships, 3) seeing a purpose and future in life, 4) dissociation, 5) chronic physical complaints, and 6) negative self-perception. The program is also suitable for use with traumatized adolescents who may not meet criteria for PTSD but are experiencing behavior problems, school refusal, substance use, early pregnancy, and other high-risk behaviors.

Age range: 12 – 18

Developmental Delays:

This program was developed for children with developmental delays; but has not been tested for children with developmental delays.

Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) was designed with a parent/caregiver component that addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms:

• An optional multi-family group convenes for 6 sessions to learn emotion regulation strategies and to practice communication skills.

Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) was designed to be conducted in a group setting; but has not been tested for use in a group setting.

Recommended group size:

Group size is between 8 and 10 members.

Recommended Intensity:

It is recommended that treatment sessions occur once a week.

Recommended Duration:

There are 16 sessions, with an average length of 1 hour.

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Community Agency
• Outpatient Clinic
• Residential Care Facility
• School

Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) includes a homework component:

Some examples of the skills practiced between sessions include self-soothe and distract skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (Miller, Rathus & Linehan, in press), interpersonal skills, mindfulness exercises & a problem-solving approach designed to help group members identify values and beliefs that are important to them.

Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) does not have materials available in a language other than English.

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

• Mental health clinician and co-therapist
• Group room
• Program handouts
• VCR
• Snacks

Mental health clinicians.

There is a manual that describes how to implement this program, and there is training available for this program.

Training Contact:

• Victor Labruna, PhD
  vlabruna@nshs.edu
  phone: (516) 562-3245

Training is obtained:

On-site.

Number of days/hours:

1.5 days before the start of group and 1.5 days one month after group begins.

This program has been reviewed and it was determined that this program lacks the type of published, peer-reviewed research that meets the CEBC criteria for a scientific rating of 1 – 5. Therefore, the program has been given the classification of "NR - Not able to be Rated." It was reviewed because it was identified by the topic expert as a program being used in the field, or it is being marketed and/or used in California with children receiving services from child welfare or related systems and their parents/caregivers. Some programs that are not rated may have published, peer-reviewed research that does not meet the above stated criteria or may have eligible studies that have not yet been published in the peer-reviewed literature. For more information on the "NR - Not able to be Rated" classification, please see the Scientific Rating Scale.

Child Welfare Outcomes: Not Specified